Cushion heel-enlarger.



J. STROOTMAN.

CUSHION HEEL ENLARGER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 22, 1910. RENEWED JAN. 15,1913.

1,056,957, Patented Mar. 25, 1913. I

Witness es. 1 Inventor.

'w;7& a. 74W W 7 may.

, from which the cushion is made.

JOHN STROOTMAN, OF BUFFALO, NEXV YORK.

CUSHION HEEL-EN LARGER.

Application filed April 22, 1910, Serial No. 556,981.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN STROOTMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Cushion Heel-Enlargers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in a cushion for the heel of a foot and it consists in a peculiarly shaped envelop or cover of felt or other suitable material which is shaped to correspond to the contour of, and is adapted to be slipped on, the heel of a foot.

The principal objects of the invention are to provide a protecting and inclosing cushion for the heel, to enlarge and raise the heel and to serve to wedge and'hold a comparatively narrow or short heeled foot firmly back against the counter of a shoe and thereby cause a tightening at the heeland over the lower instep of the foot, to press the lower ball oint and the heel of the footinwardly toward each other and thus raise the arch of the foot to obviate any danger of a falling arch or broken down instep.

The invention also relates to certain details of construction which will be hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to th accompanying drawings in which,-

Figurel. is a side elevation of a human foot with the improved heel-cushion fitted on the heel thereof, and also showing a vertical central section through a stocking on the foot. F ig. 2. is a side view of the blank Fig.3. is a top plan view of the improved cushion.

Fig. at. is a front view of the improved cushion.

In referring to the drawings in detail like numerals designate like parts.

This improved cushion is preferably made of felt and is shaped to approximately the contour of the heel of the human foot. It consists of a comparatively flat bottom portion 1, two side portions 2 and 3, extending upward from the sides of the bottom portion, and a rear portion i, extending upward from the rear of the bottom portion. The side portions are of a curved form and are joined attheir lower side margins to the side margins of the bottom portion by curved or rounded portions 5 and 6, which Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 25, 1913.

Renewed January 15, 1913. SeriaI No. 742,313.

correspond in curvature to andfit upon the rounded side surface of the heel of the foot. The side portions extend diagonally upward and gradually converge toward eachother as shown in Fig. 4. The rear portion likewise of a curved form to correspond to and fit the rear surface of the heel.

The cushion is constructed from a suitable blank cut from one integral piece of material. In Fig. 2, a blank of this character is shown which is cut to provide an edge 7, at one end which forms the front end edges of the bottom and side portions 1, 2, and 3, of the completed cushion, and is curved at its terminals as shown at 8, to form the curving corners 9, located at the top front corners of the cushion as shown in Fig. 3. As shown in Fig. 2, the side edges 10 of the blank extend from the terminals of the edges 8, and form the top edges of the side portions 2 and 3, and terminate in a rear edge which is of an irregular form. The rear edge of the blank as outlined in Fig. 2, is cut to provide two curved or converted edge portions 11, which in the completed cushion are joined together by a row of stitching 12, or similar means and owing to their convexity form the bulged out shape of the rear portion of the cushion. The middle portion of the blank between the two convened portions 11, is recessed or cut out at 13, to form a central curved or convexed edge let, and two concaved edges 15 and 16, which are located on opposite sides of the central curved edge 14, and are curved to a lesser degree than said central curved edge. The edges 15 and 16, extend at nearly a right angle to the edges 11, and

together are equal in length to the central curved edge 14:.

hen the cushion is formed the edges 15 and 16, are joined to the central curved edge 14, by rows of stitching 1'? and 18, or other suitable means and owing to this curved form impart to the lower rear portion of the cushion, the rounding form shown in Figs. 1 and 3, which fits perfectly on the rounded lower rear portion of the heel.

In making cushions of this character from a blank, the blank is bent fairly into shape by the hands of the operator, the edges heretofore described are joined by the rows of stitching 12, 17, and 18, and then the partially completed cushion is wet and pressed into the desired shape on a last or other suitable form.

This cushion is principally designed to be fitted on the naked heel of the foot and to be covered by a stocking, forming a fairly thick protecting -cushion in actual contact with the foot itself. It may, however, if it -is desired, be fitted on the heel of a foot after the stocking is in place. As the side portions of the cushion converge toward each other and gradually narrow the cushion from the bottom to the top, the cushion has a tendency to grip the heel of the foot between its side members when in place on the foot and thus retain itself in place.

The main advantages of this improved cushion are that it incloses, protects and enlarges the heel, that it wedges and holds a narrow or short heeled foot firmly within the counter of a shoe and that it obviates any falling of the arch of the foot or any breaking down of the instep.

This cushion is especially adapted to be utilized when fitting narrow short heeled ceedingly painful and injurious condition. This may be easily remedied by fitting one of these improved cushions on the foot.

I claim.

1. A cushion of the class described shaped substantially to the contour of and adapted to be fitted on the heel of the human foot; said cushion being formed in one integral piece of felt and consisting of a comparatively flat bottom portion, two side portions, which gradually converge toward each other fromthe bottom upward, and a rounded rear portion.

2. A cushion of the class described formed in one integral piece of felt and shaped substantially to the contour of and adapted to be fitted on the heel of a human foot, consisting of a comparatively flat bottom portion, adapted to fit against the bottom of the heel of the foot, two side portions which gradually converge toward each other from the bottom upward, and are adapted to fit throughoutagainst the sides of the heel of the foot, and a rounded rear portion, adapted to fit against the rear of the heel; said side portions and rear portions being joined to the bottom portion by curved or rounded parts connected by stitching at their abutting edges.

JOHN STROOTMAN. Witnesses:

GEORGE A. NEUBAUER, R. B. ARoNsoN. 

